People in this club come and go and it is rare that there are some serious enthusiasts that stick around. Bob is one of the guys who has stuck around and we are glad he has. I remember the first day I saw this car; it was at a mod/detail day at my house and was the first E30 M3 that I ever remember seeing. And what a prime example of what an E30 M3 should look like! When I saw the car it was 100% stock and is easily one of the cleanest cars that I have seen; and it is almost 20 years old! Bob, and most likely the previous owners, have taken very good care of this car and it really shows.

This car, for most of its life, belonged to the owner of a BMW dealership in North Carolina which is part of the reason why it is in such good condition. The car was then bought by the man's nephew at an estate auction. The nephew only owned it for a short time till it was sold to Bob. Around mid 2004 Bob started his search for his next car. He wasn't really in the market for a BMW but hadn't had a Euro car in about two years so it was calling his name. Bob stumbled upon the car while browsing through EBay and noticed the car was in Boerne. He made the trip up there to take a look out of curiosity and upon seeing the car, tossed around some numbers and ended up with it in his garage. This is a very special car, this one being only 1 of 4996 made for the US between 1988 & 1991. Bob had no intentions of modding this valuable collector's car.....But that would change as time went on.

Looking at the car you will notice that there are not an insane amount of modifications done to this car but just enough to make the car unique. That was the aim that Bob had in mind when he decided that he was in fact going to begin modifying the car. He also wanted to keep the modifications limited to those that could be easily changed back to stock if need be. He started with a Dinan (Gen 4) chip and then moved onto the wheels. The wheels are BBS style 5 wheels with the centers powder coated. Currently Bob is working on an entirely new suspension setup for the car to make it handle better. The drop will not be insane yet noticeable, just what Bob wants. Nothing is being done halfway; everything will be done right thanks to Ireland engineering and Bob's incredible brains.

One objective Bob has with this car is to educate the public that there actually was an M3 before the E36 M3's. Being that they are such a low production car many people don't know that there was an E30 M3. If how many people walk up to admire Bob's car at car shows and GTG's is any indication, I would say that he is succeeding in his objective. Don't be mistaken into thinking that Bob lets that get to his head though. Bob credits himself as the biggest critic of his car. Reason being is that he is the one who maintains the car and always finds something that needs attention or repair. When asked what rating he would give his car on a scale from 1 to 10 he gave himself an 8.5. Not bad for what it is so far. Hopefully that is an indication of what is to come on this sick ride.

This isn't the first car that Bob has had a chance to get his hands on and make a beautiful looking car. You should see his daily driver Cadillac! Ok, all joking aside, he has had some nice Euro's in the past. The list includes a 1983 Porsche 928S, a 1974 BMW 3.0 CS (US Model), and a 1984 BMW 635 CSi (Euro Model). Funny thing about the 3.0 is that he did more modifications to that car after he sold the car than when he actually owned the car. The work on the 3.0 included two different engines; a 3.0L Euro motor (and eventual triple side draft webers) that he had rebuilt out of a 630 CS and a couple of years later a 3.5L Hartge motor w/ L Jetronic. The car also had some suspension modifications done to it. The 635 CSi had modifications limited to several suspension upgrades. The car was sold because of numerous electrical gremlins that never could be resolved.

All together I can say that his is one beautiful work of art. I have to agree with Bob when he says his favorite features of the car are "the fat bulging fenders and the rear wing….

Kinda the whole 'boy racer' look from the factory." Bob is by no means done with this car and already it is looking better than anything I could have done. We hope Bob continues to stick around and allow us to see the progress of his ride. This is truly one example of what all E30 M3's should look like. Thank you Bob and keep up the good work!

Thanks for all of the kind words guys, all of the pics did come out very nice! I give Rob extra credit on this one as it was really smokin' hot the day we were tryin' to get the shoot done and to Jemery for applying all of the cool special effects. I honestly thought Rob was gonna melt out there in the sun the day we were doing this!!! :angry4: I am a little relieved though that the pictures of me trying to chase those stupid peacocks away from the car were gonna make it onto the site though .... I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of those pics and one day they'll "accidentally" end up in a post.... Huh Rob?

More importantly, I'm going to give credit to my wife as she's the one who has to put up w/ me on a daily basis and has helped me get something that I've always wanted. That and the fact she has a little "pull" a Ft Sam so we could get some of these cool shots!

_________________

Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:40 am

Fast1

SEA Supporter

Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:46 pmPosts: 7553Location: SA

I know it's already been said but Bob is well deserving of this. That car is pure sex. It is the most pristine example of an E30 M3 I have ever seen in person. A special congrats goes out to Bob for doing such an excellent job of keeping this rare beauty alive and well and for showing other car enthousiasts that there was a way more sexier car than the E36. Congratulations Bob!

Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:08 am

D-Witt

Site Sponsor

Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 7:32 pmPosts: 742

Easily one of the finest looking cars in the area .....definately a keeper.

Love the car. One day someone in a E30 M3 has to give me a ride, I've always wondered how they handle. I imagine pretty amazing, considering how light they are.

_________________Douche-bags are a hygienic product so I take that as a compliment, thank you.

Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:55 am

steffenme1

Little McGyver

Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2005 3:30 pmPosts: 996Location: San Antonio

Congrats Bob!

I was never a BMW guy, but I've always been madly in love with Bobs M3. The car is the epitome of what a classic european car should be. Clean, tasteful and well thought out.

If you've ever spent any time around Bob, or have been lucky enough to use his garage, you know what a "do it once, do it right" kind of guy he is. His car is a supurb example of his character, and I'm glad it was chosen as the newest featured car.

Thanks for all of the kind words guys, all of the pics did come out very nice! I give Rob extra credit on this one as it was really smokin' hot the day we were tryin' to get the shoot done and to Jemery for applying all of the cool special effects. I honestly thought Rob was gonna melt out there in the sun the day we were doing this!!! :angry4: I am a little relieved though that the pictures of me trying to chase those stupid peacocks away from the car were gonna make it onto the site though .... I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of those pics and one day they'll "accidentally" end up in a post.... Huh Rob?

More importantly, I'm going to give credit to my wife as she's the one who has to put up w/ me on a daily basis and has helped me get something that I've always wanted. That and the fact she has a little "pull" a Ft Sam so we could get some of these cool shots!

Was that the lady I was editing out in every pic?

haha jk. congrats man, one of my fav. cars in the club, no offense to anyone else. :)

Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:55 pm

bnott7037

Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 11:15 pmPosts: 37

Re: Featured Car - Bob's 1988 BMW M3

SooprmanX wrote:

I know I know, this one has taken me longer than any other Featured car I have done. But is well worth the wait. Click the picture below to read the article and see the pics. Thanks for the great pics Rob!

I am glad someone finally go their car featured!!

Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:47 pm

TT3.2

O RLY

Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:39 pmPosts: 3678Location: San Antonio

Very nice Bob.. congratulations.. Can I drive it just once?

_________________TRACK THOUGHT- Don't brake until you see God.... then when you do see God, count to three, then brake! Driving an TT is like marrying a stripper, it's fun at night but you are always attracted to other low-maintenance types who cook and clean for you the other 23 hours in a day.

Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:37 pmPosts: 198Location: In the back seat of a Chevy!

Michael & Michael give it

_________________DBCPerformance...... enough said!

Sun Jul 16, 2006 2:35 pm

TiAgZ4

Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:56 pmPosts: 322

Very well deserved feature Bob. Great pics Rob and nice article Ruben - and thanks to Jeremy for putting the final touches on everything :)

I gotta say your car has made me think that I need a project E30 M3. Of course my laziness and lack of extra cash keep telling me no

_________________

Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:18 pm

The Front Stage

Site Sponsor

Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 2:40 pmPosts: 242Location: Killeen, TX

SooprmanX wrote:

bigjae1976 wrote:

This is BS...we get teased with one stinkin' pic?

I demand some more. I wish I could get my hands on an E30 M3.

No, click the picture and there is a whole article and other pics.

Yeah, it would be nice to read the directions

Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:18 pm

archidozer79

Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:28 pmPosts: 169Location: san antonio

great pics I was curious about the ft. sam houston location...i was all over that abandoned hospital doing an actual architectural photo shoot for about two weeks this summer and i had to "sneak" some shots in bacause of those people in uniform not wanting some guy running around an abandonded building...like anything could happen, blah.

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